Far From Home
by SapphyreSkye
Summary: Darla never wanted much from life but to be left alone. Too bad life's plans got rushed. (Another stuck-in-a-world-not-your-own fic. LoL)
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I obviously don't own the world this is aiming to be set in. And I'm sorry for any floofs along the way! I do own Darla though. ^___^  
  
**********  
  
Darla hadn't felt like herself for almost a week. Her head felt stuffed full of cotton balls, her ears rang, her sight blurred and focused randomly; and she could almost swear she heard voices even though there was no one else in the room with her. Her mother had said it would pass, her father had told her to toughen up. Her boss had told her to go home, rest, and indulge herself til she felt better. So far, 'indulge herself' had included lots of ice cream and books as far as the eye could see. Which was exactly how Darla liked her days to pass. Music playing softly as backdrops to her most beloved books. Each time she drifted to sleep, the music would follow her into her dreams and she'd be fighting Leareth alongside Vanyel, or learning magic with Firesong, Darkwind, and Elspeth, or she'd be dancing around the Valdemaran court with some refined gentleman, or helping Kiesha with some herbal brew.  
But her mother had hinted that she'd felt like this before, in her childhood and that maybe a doctor should look her at. Darla had shrugged her off, if she had lived through it in years past, she could live through it again now. So far she was fine except for her symptoms but those too were diminishing, not that it really mattered to Darla.  
  
******  
  
Darla yawned through her sleepiness. She had slept for most of the day and now the sun was slinking gently up her bed. At the moment it was warming her stomach contentedly. But Darla couldn't explain the strange lethargy she felt, like someone was siphoning off her energy to some no- place. She blinked at the dust motes dancing in front of her eyes, yawning hugely again. She gazed at a spot of sun on the wall through half-lidded eyes. She could almost make out a person standing in the shaft of sunlight. Weird, she thought to herself as she stretched slightly, indulging in another yawn. When she looked back at the wall, the impression of someone standing there looking back at her was almost palpable.  
Almost like someone is really there. Darla turned over, feeling thoroughly empty. Her eyes drifted shut of their own accord and soon she felt herself falling into the dark arms of sleep.  
  
******  
  
She was floating, in a sea of darkness, her body was weightless and she was disembodied from her thoughts. Then she felt something pulling at her, forcing her closer to a feeling so cold that it burned.  
What is this? Her mind blanched. Where am I? What's happening to me?  
::You are awake now, little one.:: There was a chuckle somewhere nearby.  
Who is that? She tried to turn to find the voice but there was nothing to turn. Where in hell am I?  
::You are on the bridge.:: The voice chuckled again. Suddenly there was some sense of solidarity returning. Darla gingerly moved a body she was sure wasn't actually hers.  
::Oh, it's yours little one.:: came the amused voice again. She turned her head and looked over her shoulder. at least, what she believed to be her shoulder, she was still mostly topsy-turvy and turned around since the darkness still surrounded her. She tried to call out into the dark but no sound passed her lips.  
Back to thinking then. She mused to herself.  
::Yes, it's the only way for now.:: he said again, Darla had determined it was a 'he' by the deep baritone of the voice. ::Would you like some more familiar terrain?:: he asked mockingly.  
If you would be so kind, she retorted just before gravity grabbed her and pushed the floor up at her from nowhere.  
"Happy now?" he asked her. Darla looked up to find a gorgeous man looking down at her with amusement clearly sparkling in his deep emerald eyes.  
"Unbearably," she remarked crossly as she stood up, slightly annoyed that he hadn't offered her a hand. "What do you want from me? Better yet, who in hell are you?"  
"Not hell."  
"Huh?" Darla looked him like he'd lost his mind.  
"I'm not from hell," he said blankly.  
"OK, then do you mind telling me who you are?"  
"The Shadow-Lover," he shrugged.  
"Um.Who's that?" she blinked.  
"Death." Darla gasped and crossed herself as she backed hurriedly away. "Oh, knock it off."  
"What do you want from me?" she demanded sharply.  
"To tell you something."  
"Something not good I bet!" The Shadow-Lover sighed, rolling his eyes.heavenward?  
"Just calm down." Darla protested and Death's patience ran thin. "Sit!" he roared.  
Darla sat down bonelessly, staring up at him shocked. "That's better. Now, first off, you aren't technically dead. At least, not yet you aren't."  
"Not yet?" she interrupted.  
"It's too complicated for me to just explain randomly, you wouldn't understand and that's not the point-"  
"Try me," Darla growled, crossing her arms determined.  
"Fine. There's a mage out somewhere that managed to find you and tap your power, thinking you were an energy node," the Shadow-Lover lowered himself across from her.  
"Wha-wait a minute? He thought I was an energy node?" she asked incredulously.  
Death nodded, replying "An energy node is an-"  
"Uh-as surprising as this may seem to you, I, uh, I-I-I already know what an energy node is," she stammered, much to his surprise.  
"Fine then you understand how they work as well?"  
"Vaguely."  
"Vaguely will do for now."  
"Now, how did he mistake me for one?" she demanded.  
"Well, you are a power-lode of sorts." She favored him with a blank look. "Let me try again. You see, you have a great potential for magic but you haven't ever actually used any. However due to the.magnitude of your abilities, you just naturally attract magic flows to you. Even here, on the bridge where magic is supposed to be null, you have at least one or two lines with you."  
"Wow."  
"Tell us about it," he muttered.  
Us? She wondered silently. The Shadow-Lover gave her a strange look.  
  
"First thing's first. We have to teach you to shield, you are a terribly strong projector."  
"Sorry," she said a little off-guard.  
Death taught her how to shield her thoughts then ran her through the exercise twice more before setting her on her own and then testing the shields himself. When he was satisfied, Darla had to breathe heavily and felt like she'd just taken a brisk walk.  
"Make sure you don't do too much, and make sure to eat and rest after you do each exercise or whatever. Magic can take a lot out of even the best of us," the Shadow-Lover admonished. Darla nodded distractedly at him before taking a last deep breath and meeting his sea-green gaze.  
"You said something earlier about my not being dead yet," she prompted.  
"Oh, yes. That. Well, the thing is, this mage doesn't know what he was doing and he didn't mean to drain you but the thing is he did. Now understand, out there you will probably die. There's no chance that anyone could get to you in time and you don't have the training to reach a true energy line much less a node to retrieve the energy yourself. Even now, he's still draining your body out there."  
Darla regarded the Shadow-Lover thoughtfully. "So why am I here?"  
"Because you'll probably die, but you're too strong a mage for Fate to just let go of. You still have jobs to do. So we're giving you a new life.Sort of."  
"A new life, sort of?" Darla echoed.  
"Well, things would be kind of-" Darla glared at him. "OK, fine, they would very different from what you know."  
"And let me guess, it's either that, or death right?" He at least had the decency to flush like a child caught in the act of stealing cookies before dinner. "That's not much of a choice you know?"  
"I know, but it's the best we could get you at such short notice. We hadn't planned anything for at least four, five, maybe six years."  
"Uh-huh." Darla closed her eyes and contemplated the situation, not that there was much to think about. "Fine. I'll play your little game, but dammit, you better not pull any tricks!"  
  
"Tricks?"  
"Yeah, like tossing me in a lake or making me just fall out of the sky or something." Death regarded her with a politically blank face. "Fine, I'll take that as a 'Yes'. Let's get on with this then."  
"Then I suggest you shut your eyes."  
Darla barely had the chance to do that before the 'ground' was yanked out from under her and she felt that strange, half-surreal out-of-body experience thing again. She almost thought she heard Death calling "Good Luck."  
  
***********  
  
Firesong reached again for the node. He had been more than a little surprised at such a large node gathering in what seemed like mere hours to him. It certainly hadn't been there the weak before; at least, it hadn't been so close to the surface a week ago. A week ago it had just been there, but he hadn't been able to reach it, nor had it appeared large enough to warrant the reach for it. Now he just had to reach a slight "hand" for it and energy, pure and distinctly tinged with warmth and, Firesong could almost swear, a feminine feel to it.  
The Healer-Adept shrugged and went back to his spell crafting. His project for the morning was creating a searching spell under the watchful gaze of a still lounging lover, Silverfox. This one was to search out a Herald and her trainee who had gotten lost somewhere just north of the Vale. They'd gotten steered off-track by a spell from an outland mage.  
Firesong stopped, as there was a disturbance near the node. He began tracing the disturbance until he realized what it was. The node was shifting, in point of fact it was moving towards them! Firesong moved quickly to cut the tie to the node and hoping that it would move away. He sent out another test only to find himself still firmly linked to the node but there was no power moving down the line either way and the node had slowed it's progress.  
"Ashke, I think we might have a problem," the Adept turned to the k'Leshyan kestra-chern.  
  
*********  
  
She was moving. Quickly towards some point east of her, she was flying it seemed. Miles seemed to move past like inches. Then she slowed and the miles became feet, then yards in passing. She would have watched the passing scenery but its colors were harsh and they blurred together to produce a blinding headache. She tentatively wondered where she was headed and sensed the male presence that was pulling her along. How much longer is this trip? she wondered. 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own the world, I don't own most of the characters. I do own Darla though.

Note to Brianna: I was always under the impression that the Shadow Lover took on the form that was easiest for whom he was dealing with! That's why his eyes were green rather than blue.

Firesong had gathered the elders of K'Valdemar Vale at the Heartstone within moments when it became clear that the energy node was moving steadily towards them. The elders had not been especially happy to hear such news, old fears awakening.

"It could be a trap!" "Why didn't you think about what you were doing?"

The Healer Adept had rarely ever been questioned and he was getting the brunt of it from all sides. The only ones who remained silent were Darien and his wife Kiesha. The pair gazed at each other, deep in conversation, arguing quietly. When the elders had spent their wrath Firesong noted that Kiesha was watching him calmly.

"Yes, Healer Kiesha?" Firesong asked.

"I don't think it's an energy node," Kiesha replied, shutting her eyes in thought. "I had a dream last night. Of a man and a girl and they were speaking. Then the girl left and the man turned and spoke to me. He said "Give it form. Give it life. Teach it." I think the energy node is some kind of creature and we're supposed to teach it. Something."

Firesong and the elders all looked at her strangely; Darien was making an angry face at the heavens.

"But whoever heard of taking energy from a creature?" one elder asked rashly.

"Well what do you do when you shield a Heartstone?" Kiesha shot back. "You borrow energy from someone else. Healers do it all the time as well."

"But that's different, that's a willing gift!" the elder snorted in indignation.

"Well if she didn't know what was happening she couldn't say yea or nay, now could she?" Kiesha stormed.

"I believe Lady Kiesha," Firesong spoke at last. "She is in earnest. Perhaps we should at least give this a try. We don't have anything to lose by it."

There was more talk of traps and enemies and mageborn monsters. But it was at last decided that the 'node' would be dealt with as its summoner saw fit, in this case, Firesong. The speaker for the mages was not happy, and her feelings were mutual around the council. The compromise was reached though that Firesong would do as he wished but that the other mages of the Vale would shield the area, 'just in case.'

The Vale waited with barely restrained emotions for the node's arrival. The hertasi cleared a glade for the Healer Adept to work in and preparations were made. Kiesha and Firesong worked closely together in the days to come, making sure that everything was planned for.

"How exactly do you give form to energy?" Silverfox asked quietly as he watched his lover pace about the glade.

"You give it the energy it needs, some sort of tie to bind it to flesh I think," Firesong replied, adjusting the mask covering his face. "Kiesha found the spell but I still don't understand it. She says the man in her dreams helped her. I don't understand why he's visiting her to give me instructions.

"Perhaps you are too pompous my firebird," Silverfox quipped as he stood. He approached the Adept slowly and wrapped his arms around the stiff man. "She is certainly more open to influences otherworldly."

"I'm open!" Firesong squawked offended. He pouted, crossing his arms childishly.

"Oh come now," Silverfox chuckled. "You know there are some things even you can't do. You are too attuned to the earth and the tree to get messages from spirits easily."

Firesong snorted but couldn't help grinning. "You're right I suppose."

_She felt something nearby, turning to regard it mildly. What's that? she wondered. She turned slightly and followed. It was familiar, the same masculine prescense that had pulled her this far already. So he'd moved._

_She was ready to get rid of this nebulous form, ready to have a true body again. How much longer did she have to wait?_

Firesong began pulling the node to where he wanted it, directing it, and calling it. Kiesha sat at his side with a still unhappy Darien. Kiesha had the binding crystal in her hand, waiting patiently. Firesong began crafting the spell, tying the energy off to the crystal in Kiesha's hands. It began to glow faintly, a pale color that slowly grew brighter as the energy came closer.

_She suddenly felt strained, pulled apart, like she was being siphoned off. Yet it didn't worry her. She knew she should be worried but it was as though someone was there beside her, gently calming her fears. She let herself be pulled out, releasing her shields and inhibitions, letting herself fall freely._

Firesong shut his eyes, wincing as the light from the crystal flared. Kiesha cried out softly and Darien called out something but it was lost.

"Kiesha?" Darien asked softly. Firesong immediately looked over to see the healer staring into the glade. The Healer Adept and her husband followed her gaze.

There lay a young woman, her hair was a pale shade of rosy pink and her skin was pale and her entire form screamed frailty. The girl pushed herself up and her long hair fell forward, thankfully covering most of her body as she shifted, picking up her hands and looking at them. She turned towards them as Kiesha let out a strangled sound. Firesong stared in shock, even the girl's eyes were pink but what drew his attention was the small rose quartz that sparkled against her chest. She looked at them all in confusion and brushed pink locks from her face, tucking them behind delicately upswept ears. She coughed slightly and then looked down at herself, wondering why they were staring.

The creature let out a startled yelp and tried to cover herself with her hands. The action broke the trio's shock and Kiesha leapt up, retrieving a long robe that had been set aside for just such a thing. The girl took it gratefully and smiled, revealing small, elongated canines that reminded Kiesha frighteningly of fangs. But Kiesha smiled back determinedly as the girl stood, taking the robe and wrapping it around herself. They were all shocked to find that when standing she appeared barely taller than five feet. She looked up at Kiesha cheerfully before looking around at the glade. She noticed a bright purple and red flower and moved towards it, her eyes shining. She plucked the blossom up and offered it to Kiesha who had followed her curiously. Kiesha took the flower.

"Thank you," the healer said lamely.

"Welcome," was the soft reply as the girl smiled again.

"You can speak!" Kiesha cried. The girl nodded and giggled.

"Course I can talk," she said mildly, walking over to Darien and Firesong. "So who are you all?"

"Well, I'm Kiesha and that's my husband Darien Firkin, and that's the Healer Adept Firesong," Kiesha supplied as both males stood up. "He's the one who brought you here."

"Oh, so he's genius that almost killed me," the girl growled in an annoyed tone.

"Yes, sorry about that," Firesong grimaced as he blushed beneath his mask.

"Don't worry, it was all a misunderstanding from what I'm told, you didn't mean to do anything bad."

"You're awful forgiving for someone who looks like a demon," Darien commented.

"A demon, me?" The girl laughed at the thought. "I'm no demon, I'm just or I was just a normal girl, what I am now? You're guess is as good as mine now."

"Who are you?" Kiesha asked her.

"Uh, well, I was a girl named Darla, but now," the young creature took up a shock of pale pink hair. "Well, let's just say Darla did not have pink hair."

"So I suppose the first thing to do is name you," Kiesha supplied. "We can't very well introduce you to anyone if you don't have a name."

"For now we don't need something formal or fancy, just a use-name while she gets settled in," Firesong concurred.

"Blossom?" Darien suggested, holding out the flower his wife had been gifted with.

"Blossom?" the girl cringed.

"It's only for a little while, a few weeks or so a few months at most," Kiesha placated her.

"Blossom will do for now," Firesong decreed.

"Blossom, great, I'm a freaking Powerpuff girl," the pink-haired 'demon' muttered.

"What's a Powerpuff? Is that some sort of fighting order?" Darien asked her.

Blossom opened her mouth to respond but seemed to think twice about it. "You wouldn't understand, I guess you could call them a fighting force or something like that."

"Let's get her dressed in real clothes and then take her to the elders." Firesong led the small group to a nearby ekele.


End file.
